Print Outcomes

This triptych of etchings makes up one outcome of my project. These etchings etched with copper sulfate on aluminum plate have developed from earlier prints and video work. The content of the pieces differ somewhat but generally form and anatomy have been explored and I have developed my own visual language the body and of its sex. The Prints form this trio through a change apparent above from left to right, where line becomes tone or vice versa.

The right hand print is the most tonal with at least 5 etches were made in the acid, with four different tonal areas created using Straw hat and Brunswick varnish. This etching has the most depth of the group with subtle line details shadowed by the roughness of the plate.

The middle etching was the clearest follow on from my earlier prints and was the first to be etched out of the three. This print has three distinct tonal regions separating the folded forms. This was a definite continuation of the fluid style that I originally developed.

The left hand print was the second to be etched and comprised entirely of line with any tonality being dictated by the frequency and density of the lines. The vague scrawl forming some lettering in it's lower half was in reference to the carved plastic of the bus seats I have sat on while journeying to college throughout the year. I liked the deeply textured surfaces of the plastic, which is carved and often melted. It was interesting to position this harsh texture alongside textures of the body, viewing the similarities and differences between plastic and flesh.

I'm very pleased with how this outcome has turned out especially with how well the prints interact. These also pose an interesting contrast with my video outcome (in the next post) which explores the same visual language but made digitally as a pose to the traditional process of etching. It was nice to see the images transcend this divide in the medium and create an overlapping set of outcomes.

The tonal print with just the lines in before tonal areas were added.